Praying influence for our kids
If anyone can appreciate the impact influencers have in our world today, it’s our kids. They are inundated with social media influencers telling them what to buy, how to look, and what to do in given situations. But despite the somewhat negative perception we may associate with our culture’s “influencers,” as Christians we are called have influence in our own circles and our kids are too.
Today we’re praying that our kids will visibly and authentically live out their faith, and in doing so draw others to him. It’s no coincidence that they are part of the teams, friend groups, and clubs they are in—it’s by design. So we’re praying that as they go about their days they will have influence through their words, conduct, love, faith, and purity (1 Timothy 4:12).
Even though our kids will likely (hopefully) never have the influencer status of a Kardashian, we’re reminded that it’s the significance of the message not the size of the audience that matters. Let’s pray they are faithful influencers of the gospel message that our world so desperately needs.
Holiness, same sex attaction, and finding our true identity with Jackie Hill Perry
We are coming in hot this week with Jackie Hill Perry. She’s chatting with us about holiness, what that even means, and why God’s holiness matters to our everyday lives.
If you haven’t heard of Jackie Hill Perry, or JHP as I like to call her (not really, but kinda wanted to) you’re missing out. She’s been given the opportunity to share her story in all the big places and has an amazing testimony of working through same-sex attraction issues of her past, and the role God’s holiness has played in redefining who she is today.
There’s so much you won’t want to miss, but here’s a few of the topics we hit on today’s show:
- Why awareness of God’s holiness increases our trust in him
- The problem with allowing our circumstances to have the final say in our beliefs about God
- How to walk in love with those with same sex attraction
- Using our story to point to God’s greater good
- Teaching our kids that how you “feel” is not who you are
I’m just so grateful that we have this time today with JHP! It’s a conversation you won’t soon forget.
Praying Fearlessness for our kids
Praying fearlessness over our kids will likely result in a little bit of fear in our own lives—am I right? My youngest has already fully embraced the fearless life, and let’s just say it has caused me more gray hair than I care to highlight at this age. 🤪
Even so, as Christian parents we want our kids to live fearless when it comes to sharing their faith, walking in the ways of the Lord, and chasing after the God-things in their lives. I love that the anxiety and fear we face in this life is no surprise to God—he knew it was coming so he graciously gave us a Bible full of “fear not” verses.
Even though there’s nothing wrong with praying for our kids’ safety, let’s go a step further this week and pray for fearlessness in our kids, knowing that the one who created them will also protect and sustain them.
Decluttering 101 with Allie Casazza
If I was braver I would show you a picture of my closet floor at this very moment in solidarity with all those slowly being overtaken by the clutter in their homes. But I’m not that brave, so let’s move on. Ha!
Allie Casazza has been on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and a whole lot of other places talking about ways to keep our stuff from stealing our joy. Coming from a place of deep stress and frustration in her own home, she realized that what takes up our space takes up our time. She discovered she was spending all her time maintaining her stuff. Sounds vaguely familiar, right?
Allie shares with us today her best tips for decluttering our houses one room at a time. She encourages us to set the intention for the room and align everything in it with that purpose (note: the intention for my closet is unclear at this time). Even if this all feels overwhelming, you’ll love her tips for small steps that will make a big difference.
Don’t miss our full-service show today on ways to declutter our kids’ stuff, our own stuff, the sentimental stuff, and all the rest that’s tripping us up (quite literally).
Praying light for our kids
It’s finally here! Week one of our 2021-2022 prayer journal kicks-off today on Pardon the Mess.
If this is your first time to join us for the prayer podcasts, here’s how it works. Each Monday morning we will release a short, ten-minute podcast praying for an attribute of our faith over our kids. We will be praying our kids are marked by things like gratefulness, purpose, patience, resolve, courage, and so much more. We wrap up each week with a time of prayer—and, let's just say, you won’t want to miss it.
This week as we begin a new school year, we’re praying our kids are light to all those around them. I can’t think of a more important thing to start with considering the opportunities they will have to share their faith and bring hope in a world that so desperately needs Jesus.
I’m so glad you’re joining us to pray for our kids this year—there’s truly nothing more significant we can do for them each day. And please consider sharing this with a friend and inviting them to join us in praying each week! It’s perfect for small groups, MOPS friends, and anyone/everyone that wants to pray for their kids with new resolve each week.
A parent’s back to school guide with Mia Mbroh
If I had to pick just one person to speak into the nitty gritty of starting a new school year, it would 100% be Mia Mbroh. She’s not only a licensed professional counselor, but she has also worked directly in the school trenches giving her a unique insider's perspective.
In the only way Mia knows how, today she brings us an honest and vulnerable look at the good, bad, and ugly that our kids are facing in this new school year. And as a part of that, I can promise you don’t want to miss a second of her advice on showing grace and letting go of some of the high expectations we’re holding onto for our kids (ouch, my toes).
There’s a really, really good word I needed to hear on walking our kids through hard friendships, social awkwardness, and the hard places we face with learning differences. And take note if you have a junior high or high school child, she addresses ways to best connect with these little darlings and gives a HILARIOUS dog/cat analogy.
If your kids are back in school, don’t miss the wise words of Mia Mbroh!
Help I’m Drowning with Sally Clarkson
It feels like we’ve weathered some pretty significant storms the last 18 months, both in the world at large as well as individually and as families. If you’re anything like me, there have been hard places that have caused you to cry out to God and, at times, even question his plans.
I’m so thankful that Sally Clarkson is here today talking about the hard places we face, reminding us that storms are our training grounds for obeying God’s Word and walking in his ways.
Sally shares with us some of the storms she’s personally faced and how walking with God has allowed her to build a life on the rock of eternal values. We talk very practically of these important topics: how to to observe but not internalize the difficulties we face, the role of our feelings when we’re struggling, walking our kids through hard things and the trap of busyness and distraction, raising kids who are out of the box, and tips for weathering marriage difficulties
Some days it’s nice to have someone just a little further down the road giving us perspective and wisdom. Today is one of those days, and Sally Clarkson is just the right person for the job!
Un-hurry your heart and life with Jennifer Dukes Lee
I don’t know about you, but it feels like now that school is back in session I can finally exhale and breathe a little bit knowing there’s going to be more routine in my days.
Maybe it was getting one ready for college, or mentally preparing for high school with my middle son, or the beginning of kindergarten with my youngest—but life has felt like a lot the last few months.
If you’re feeling this same way, today’s show with Jennifer Dukes Lee is for you. Jennifer shares with us a time when she was at a breaking point in her own life and realized the need to “un-hurry” her heart. She gave herself permission to slow down and wait for the better things that come only with slow growth and deeper connection with the Lord.
God’s design for sexuality and teaching our kids to defend their faith: Sean McDowell
Sean McDowell joins us today to talk about God’s design for our sexuality and raising kids biblically in a confused culture that blurs the lines. We tackle topics like the shortcomings of the purity culture movement, as well as the biggest misconceptions our kids are facing when it comes to love and relationships.
Sean is a gifted communicator who speaks all over the world, equipping Christians to make the case for their Christian faith. Alongside his Dad, Josh McDowell, they are passionate about teaching believers (especially youth) to identify the lies in our culture and respond biblically. Sean shares with us some of the top faith issues facing our kids today and how to address them with truth while keeping an open dialogue.
His new book, Chasing Love: Sex, Love, and Relationships in a Confused Culture, is a much-needed deep dive into God’s design for our sexuality. Oh, and If you missed our conversation with Josh McDowell, please go back and listen to it ASAP. I promise it’s worth every second of your time to hear Sean and Josh McDowell—some of the top apologists of our day—share their thoughts on raising kids biblically.